Honey roasted root vegetables with apples

Honey and apples! Does anything shout Rosh Hashanah more? I must admit, I’m guilty of adding them to all sorts of dishes, but these roasted root vegetables are definitely among my favourites.

If you’re a regular reader here, you’ll know I love roasted vegetables (for instance these, these, these or these). So creating an apple-and-honeyed-up Rosh Hashanah version was really a no-brainer. Especially when adding a drizzle of honey (or maple syrup) is proven to make roasted veg evenmore delicious.

Roasted roots – carrots, parsnips and beetroots – are fairly sweet anyway, so a little added honey serves to accentuate the flavour, whilst also adding a lovely sticky, caramelised outer layer. The apple meanwhile, mellows to earthy sweet softness alongside the vegetables. If you like a sweet-savoury combination, you’ll love these roasted vegetables! Carrots and beets also feature among the symbolic foods that are traditionally eaten on Rosh Hashanah, so this recipe is a winner all round.

Also, there’s something wonderful about the aroma of warm honey as it wafts through the house. Aaaah. The gorgeous sweet smell lingered in the kitchen until the next day – a really comforting, cosy fragrance.

These roasted root vegetables are a brilliant side dish for a family yomtov meal, as they’re quick and simple to prepare (see if you can persuade the kids to peel the veggies!) and once cooked, they’ll happily sit in a moderate oven for a while until you’re ready to eat them. They’re also good cold, so any leftovers can easily be recycled as a ‘salad’ the next day. In theory. I made a huge tray, intending to do this, but DH and Kipper liked them so much there were hardly any left!